| By Chaplain Rod Davis |
If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage
in the thickets by the Jordan? (Jer.12:5)
I remember the first time I read this verse, nearly 30 years ago. It seemed to jump out at me. It
intrigued and, at the same time, puzzled me. I sensed that God was saying something profound to
me. I just didn?t know what it was. What's more, it would take more than 20 years for me to finally
get it?20 years filled with intense sorrow and grief.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
(Ecc. 1:18)
Fire walks hand in hand with revelation. Indeed, God uses fire to sear His words deep into our souls.
Wisdom is the practical application of revelation and, as in my case, it can take years sometimes to
arrive at that place where we at long last grasp what God is saying to us. Then it can take longer to
learn how to put legs on that revelation and walk in it.
What was God trying to say to me? As it happens He was giving me a warning.
I had just gone through the most painful event in my young life. I was devastated and thought I
would die of sorrow. There in the midst of my grief as I lay licking my wounds, God was softly
saying to me, ?Son, if you give up now, when things are a bit rough, what are you going to do when
life gets really difficult? If life?s little surprises make you want to throw up your hands and quit now,
what will you do when all Hell breaks lose?!?
May I ask you a personal question? What do you do when life throws you a curve? Do you become
angry and embittered at the pitcher? Do you cry out, ?That?s not fair!? and then drop your bat and
walk away? Perhaps you swing and swing at the ball but keep fouling out. Maybe you think that this
game called life is actually rigged. You can?t win anyway. So why even try.
Have you ever felt that way? Do you feel that way now? You?re not alone, my friend. Many have
felt the sting of bitter disappointment and wanted to crawl away somewhere and die. I was one of
them for a lot of years. I had what I called a ?toilet bowl mentality.? It seemed that whenever things
were finally going good for me and I had my fingers on the rim of the bowel, about to pull myself
out?FLUSH!!! Life would pull the lever and once again I would find myself sucked back into despair
and hopelessness. Eventually I got to the point that whenever something distressing would come my
way. I would respond with one word, ?FLUSH!?
I was one miserable puppy!
How could a loser like me even think of competing with horses. Why?I couldn?t even keep up with
the men in the race. The very thought of competing at all seemed absurd and far out of reach. Yet
deep inside I knew there had to be a better way that I was somehow missing. After all, didn?t Jesus
promise us an abundant life? I knew that my walk with the LORD was not where it needed to be, yet
still I was certain that there was some higher plain that I was meant to walk on. But, how did I go
about getting there? This notion seemed to mock me with every new FLUSH that came my way.
I didn?t know then what I know now.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the
ancients were commended for. (Heb.11:1-2)
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;
they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens
and strangers on earth. (Heb.11:13)
They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in
sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--the world was not worthy of them.
They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all
commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. (Heb. 11:37-39)
?I?m just so hurt and disappointed!?
?With what are you disappointed??
?Life? I guess. Things are not working out the way I hoped they would. I?ve been believing that God
was going to do something about my situation but??
?So, with whom are you really disappointed??
?I guess? with God.?
?Let me ask you a question. Do you want God to love you and accept you on the basis of your
performance?on the basis of what you do or don?t do for him??
?No, of course not!?
?Then why do you treat Him that way? Why do you deal with God on the basis of His
performance??
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ?O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to
defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we
serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does
not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold
you have set up.? (Daniel 3:16-18)
When life seems to accelerate to a blinding speed and you think you?re going to lose your grip and
fall off. When you pray and the Heavens seem brass. When all your hopes and dreams have
shattered and have falling to the wayside. When everything within you screams for you to quit, throw
down your bat and go home. That?s when you?re faced with your defining moment. What will you
do? Will you still hope? Will you still trust God even though He doesn?t do what you think He
should?
?Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him?? (Job13:15)
Trusting God no matter what happens is running with the big dogs--competing with horses. It?s then
that you make the difficult choice to stand firm and declare, ?I?m going to trust God! I will follow
Him even if I may never see the fruition to my faith?even if things may never turn around for me.
I?m going to stand secure in my relationship with Him. My hope is in Him?not in my circumstances
changing. Even if life throws me into a fiery furnace I will not bow to the gods of despair and fear.
I?m going to trust God even if He chooses, for some higher purpose, to let me be consumed by the
flames. My hope remains in God?no matter what!?
This is what the ancients were commended for. (Heb.11:2)
God is looks for a remnant of His people who believe this way. He seeks a people who will charge
into the inferno for Him?who will run headlong into the thickets; a people who will refuse to put
conditions on service. God seeks a man or a woman who will trust Him even though they may never
receive what was promised. These are the chosen few?the mighty men and women of God. These
are the ones that God will use to invade history and set society on its ear. The Big Dogs!
If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage
in the thickets by the Jordan? (Jer.12:5)
I remember the first time I read this verse, nearly 30 years ago. It seemed to jump out at me. It
intrigued and, at the same time, puzzled me. I sensed that God was saying something profound to
me. I just didn?t know what it was. What's more, it would take more than 20 years for me to finally
get it?20 years filled with intense sorrow and grief.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
(Ecc. 1:18)
Fire walks hand in hand with revelation. Indeed, God uses fire to sear His words deep into our souls.
Wisdom is the practical application of revelation and, as in my case, it can take years sometimes to
arrive at that place where we at long last grasp what God is saying to us. Then it can take longer to
learn how to put legs on that revelation and walk in it.
What was God trying to say to me? As it happens He was giving me a warning.
I had just gone through the most painful event in my young life. I was devastated and thought I
would die of sorrow. There in the midst of my grief as I lay licking my wounds, God was softly
saying to me, ?Son, if you give up now, when things are a bit rough, what are you going to do when
life gets really difficult? If life?s little surprises make you want to throw up your hands and quit now,
what will you do when all Hell breaks lose?!?
May I ask you a personal question? What do you do when life throws you a curve? Do you become
angry and embittered at the pitcher? Do you cry out, ?That?s not fair!? and then drop your bat and
walk away? Perhaps you swing and swing at the ball but keep fouling out. Maybe you think that this
game called life is actually rigged. You can?t win anyway. So why even try.
Have you ever felt that way? Do you feel that way now? You?re not alone, my friend. Many have
felt the sting of bitter disappointment and wanted to crawl away somewhere and die. I was one of
them for a lot of years. I had what I called a ?toilet bowl mentality.? It seemed that whenever things
were finally going good for me and I had my fingers on the rim of the bowel, about to pull myself
out?FLUSH!!! Life would pull the lever and once again I would find myself sucked back into despair
and hopelessness. Eventually I got to the point that whenever something distressing would come my
way. I would respond with one word, ?FLUSH!?
I was one miserable puppy!
How could a loser like me even think of competing with horses. Why?I couldn?t even keep up with
the men in the race. The very thought of competing at all seemed absurd and far out of reach. Yet
deep inside I knew there had to be a better way that I was somehow missing. After all, didn?t Jesus
promise us an abundant life? I knew that my walk with the LORD was not where it needed to be, yet
still I was certain that there was some higher plain that I was meant to walk on. But, how did I go
about getting there? This notion seemed to mock me with every new FLUSH that came my way.
I didn?t know then what I know now.
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the
ancients were commended for. (Heb.11:1-2)
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised;
they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens
and strangers on earth. (Heb.11:13)
They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in
sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated--the world was not worthy of them.
They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all
commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. (Heb. 11:37-39)
?I?m just so hurt and disappointed!?
?With what are you disappointed??
?Life? I guess. Things are not working out the way I hoped they would. I?ve been believing that God
was going to do something about my situation but??
?So, with whom are you really disappointed??
?I guess? with God.?
?Let me ask you a question. Do you want God to love you and accept you on the basis of your
performance?on the basis of what you do or don?t do for him??
?No, of course not!?
?Then why do you treat Him that way? Why do you deal with God on the basis of His
performance??
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, ?O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to
defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we
serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does
not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold
you have set up.? (Daniel 3:16-18)
When life seems to accelerate to a blinding speed and you think you?re going to lose your grip and
fall off. When you pray and the Heavens seem brass. When all your hopes and dreams have
shattered and have falling to the wayside. When everything within you screams for you to quit, throw
down your bat and go home. That?s when you?re faced with your defining moment. What will you
do? Will you still hope? Will you still trust God even though He doesn?t do what you think He
should?
?Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him?? (Job13:15)
Trusting God no matter what happens is running with the big dogs--competing with horses. It?s then
that you make the difficult choice to stand firm and declare, ?I?m going to trust God! I will follow
Him even if I may never see the fruition to my faith?even if things may never turn around for me.
I?m going to stand secure in my relationship with Him. My hope is in Him?not in my circumstances
changing. Even if life throws me into a fiery furnace I will not bow to the gods of despair and fear.
I?m going to trust God even if He chooses, for some higher purpose, to let me be consumed by the
flames. My hope remains in God?no matter what!?
This is what the ancients were commended for. (Heb.11:2)
God is looks for a remnant of His people who believe this way. He seeks a people who will charge
into the inferno for Him?who will run headlong into the thickets; a people who will refuse to put
conditions on service. God seeks a man or a woman who will trust Him even though they may never
receive what was promised. These are the chosen few?the mighty men and women of God. These
are the ones that God will use to invade history and set society on its ear. The Big Dogs!
| All scripture referances are from the New International Version of the Bible |
| Who Let the Dogs Out?-lyrics by The Baha Men |
| SoaringWings Ministries |